September 1, Lauren Continental Calendar 3901 (Continental Calendar 322).
"...Phew..."
Duke Niestol Kirilo Jagus of the Jagus Principality rested on the edge of the heated pool.
Beside him sat his duchess consort, Katerina Leila Jagus.
"Dear, when I weighed myself just now, I was down to 101 kilograms."
"Is that so? I have reached exactly 130 kilograms."
Both of them had begun dieting after heeding the advice of the Deformed Golem, Eiji 1, and the magi-brain, Brain.
Their regimen consisted of dietary restrictions and exercise.
For the dietary restrictions, they had consulted Elena (fake Elena) and learned recipes that were both delicious and low in calories.
Their exercise was swimming in the pool—or rather, water walking.
The menu featured an array of dishes made with low-calorie ingredients like okara, chicken, agar-agar, and assorted mushrooms, supplemented with fruits such as shiika and citran.
Soy sauce and salt were applied immediately before eating whenever possible.
Since the flavor perceived by the tongue is largely determined by what coats the surface of the food, any seasoning that soaks deep inside or gets mixed throughout without touching the taste buds simply results in unnecessary intake.
Excess sodium places a burden on the kidneys and leads to edema, so keeping it to a modest amount was essential—hence the adoption of this practice.
As for exercise, water walking was chosen to minimize strain on the knees and lower back.
At first, the Duke could not manage even ten minutes, but he was now able to walk for roughly thirty.
Seeing her husband's progress, the Duchess Consort had joined in on the diet three days after him.
"Lately, I have been sleeping so soundly and waking up feeling refreshed in the mornings."
"I feel the same."
"We really should have started this 'diet' a little sooner, shouldn't we?"
"Y-Yes, indeed..."
Even so, with official duties demanding his attention, the Duke could spare only about an hour at the pool.
"I think I shall walk a little longer."
"Do not push yourself too hard."
Leaving those parting words, Duke Niestol Kirilo Jagus of the Jagus Principality headed for the changing room.
The Progressers were making steady strides as well.
"Now then, what will you be teaching us today, Eiji 1?"
Rodriguez, who held the status of elder among them, was brimming with so much vigor that it was hard to believe he had ever retired.
<< Indeed, all of you have improved considerably. It is finally time to begin processing adamantite. >>
"Oh, that is precisely what I had hoped for."
<< Very well. Did everyone bring their practice samples? >>
"Of course. Each of us has a 200-gram ingot in hand."
<< Good. First, I would like you to produce a true sphere. However, you must do so within one second. >>
"W-What?!"
Compared to other metals, adamantite possessed an extraordinarily high resistance to magic, making it exceptionally difficult to work with.
<< That is where we shall begin. >>
"A-All right..."
Led by Rodriguez, the five members of the Progressers immediately set to work shaping true spheres using Forming.
However...
"...Mmh..."
"This is difficult..."
In the end, it took every one of them around three seconds just to complete a true sphere.
<< You still have a long way to go. It seems it will be some time before I can impart the true essence of working with adamantite. >>
Meanwhile, Jin had arrived at the leased territory in the Mimaka Principality.
"Oh, this has come along quite nicely."
Splendid fields and reservoirs had been completed, and the crop seedlings were beginning to spread their green leaves.
Through the diligent efforts of the Land squad, over seventy square kilometers of farmland had already been cleared and cultivated.
"Kufu, hasn't it?"
The voice belonged to Saki.
"The crops are growing wonderfully. The soil here really is remarkable."
Jin smiled and thanked her.
"Thank you. It's been a huge help having you check in on everything from time to time, Saki."
Whenever Jin was busy, she had monitored the fields in his stead.
"The reservoirs have filled up nicely too."
Although regular rainfall had returned to the area, the reservoirs remained essential.
"Yeah. As for those, it should be fine to dial back the output from the springs."
With the increased precipitation, Saki noted, the strain on the underground water veins would also decrease.
"Should we adjust the parameters?"
When Jin asked, she replied, "Ah, I already asked Laojun to look into that. The calculations should be done by now, so it'll let you know if you ask."
"Well, that certainly saves me some trouble."
Saki was always thorough with her preparations.
"So, a little over a month has passed, and everything is growing even better than expected."
"Kufu, especially the watermelon (shiika)."
Flower buds were already forming along the vines.
"The upland rice is thriving too."
"Yeah. What are your plans for that side of things?"
Saki asked whether they might convert some land into paddy rice fields now that precipitation had increased.
"About that... expanding into rice paddies right off the bat would be tough, no matter how you look at it... especially when considering the eventual handover."
"Ah, good point."
Unlike upland rice, paddies required specialized cultivation methods. Jin was concerned that the transition might not go smoothly once the land was returned to the Mimaka Principality.
"I think we'll keep upland rice as our main focus here and work on selective breeding to improve its flavor."
"Ah, that sounds like a great idea."
Thanks to Soil Control, soil depletion from continuous cropping was a non-issue, making it a blessing that they could keep growing upland rice in the same plots indefinitely.
"Though to be fair, the variety planted right now is already quite tasty," Saki remarked.
"And it looks like we won't have to worry about diseases among the usual pests and blights."
Varieties prized for exceptional flavor or high yields were inevitably fragile.
"Speaking of which, do we need to worry about insect damage?"
"For now, there are no insects in this region. But as the rain continues and the vegetation flourishes, they'll make their way here eventually."
While it wouldn't be an issue for the next few years, Jin knew they would need countermeasures in the long run.
"Kufu, yeah, we'll definitely have to figure something out sooner or later."
Saki readily agreed.
"Still, first things first—we need to finish developing the farmland."
"That's right."
Side by side, Jin and Saki watched the Land squad steadily clear and cultivate the earth.